LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Saturday demanded resignation of finance minister Ishaq Dar and announced to hold a multi-party conference on the country’s political situation.

Speaking at a press conference, the bar’s office-bearers said the rulers had pushed the country into darkness and poverty in addition to political crisis.

LHCBA president Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, secretary Amir Saeed Rawn, vice- president Rashid Lodhi and finance secretary Zaheer Butt jointly spoke to the media.

They demanded Ishaq Dar should resign as finance minister immediately and defend corruption charges against him in the accountability court.

Referring to post-disqualification statements by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders, the bar’s leaders strongly condemned the ‘vilification’ campaign against the institution of judiciary.

Mr Lodhi said a disqualified and “corrupt” person had become threat to democracy. He lamented that the ousted premier, despite his disqualification, had been holding meetings of the federal cabinet at his Jati Umra residence.

“This is an insult of democracy,” he added.

Mr Rawn said Nawaz Sharif had been bringing a bad name to the country by resorting to “character assassination of state institutions”.

He called for resignation of all federal ministers involved in cancellation of Khatm-i-Nabuwat’s declaration.

He said the bar would soon convene a multi-party conference on the issue of alleged anti-judiciary campaign launched by the PML-N leaders. He also urged the government to hold dialogue with the participants of Islamabad sit-in and avoid using force against them.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017